ISSN 2756-388X
International Journal of Plant and Animal Sciences Vol. 1 (2), pp. 037-041, April, 2013. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Performance of Dorper lambs fed buffel grass and browse as basal diet and sorghum bran as supplement
Dr Keitirele Patricia Walker
Malotwana Silvopastoral Farm P. O.Box 2386 Mochudi. Botswana. Principal Research Scientist, National Food Technology Research Centre.E-mail: [email protected].
Accepted 18 February, 2013
Abstract
Sixteen weaned lambs (10 castrates and 6 females) were used in a feeding trial at Malotwana Silvopastoral Farm in an on-farm investigation lasting 134 days. The study was undertaken to investigate the growth rates of lambs fed cultivated Leucaena spp. browse in comparison with those fed sorghum bran as supplements. The main basal diet was buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), which is a common grass that the animals in Botswana graze on the range. Feed and water were provided ad. lib. Animals were supplemented with idiosed salt and dicalcium phosphate. The average daily mass gain of bran-supplemented lambs was lower than that for browse-supplemented lambs (83.95 ± 9.49 g/day/head compared to 103.33 ± 2.72 g/day/head). The metabolic rate was also higher for the browse-fed group: 12.19 ± 0.19 g/day/head compared to 11.90 ± 0.52 g/day/head for bran-fed lambs (P = 0.1538). Throughout the study the browse-fed lambs performed better, and by day 49 had a significantly greater mean mass (P = 0.0245) than the bran-fed group. Unseasonally cold weather in November affected both groups, leading to loss of weight, with the bran-fed lambs recording a significantly lower mean mass by day 98 of the trial (P = 0.0174). The results showed that crude protein requirements of lambs can be met through the use of Leucaena browse.
Key words: Leucaena browse, Cenchrus ciliaris, growth rates, body weight, sorghum bran, Botswana.